Tag



Feb. 18,1936. H, ROTH zmwzg TAG Filed June 12, 1935 Patented Feb. 18, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates totags for indicating or marking articles of merchandise or packages containing the same and its main object is to provide a tag which can be readily and quickly 5 attached to the article or package without any fastening means, such as string or Wire.

A further object of my invention is to provide a tag which is so constructed that when applying it to the article it will automatically interlock itself with the latter.

A still further object is to provide a tag that will be simple in construction and inexpensive and economical to manufacture.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists of a tag composed substantially of a body portion of such size and shape as to suit the particular use and of a suitable more or less flexible material and a tab or strap of similar material fixed thereto near the attaching end of the tag. Both, body portion and. tab, are each so cut out that when assembled and fixed to one another there will be formed an eyelet and two resilient flaps or tongues extending in opposite directions and over opposite faces of the tag, closing said eyelet and which upon pressure exerted thereon by the article as the tag is being applied thereto will be raised from the plane of the tag permitting the article to snap into the eyelet and to become locked therein when the flaps, on their release, automatically spring back into normal position.

My invention consists also in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing which forms part of this specification and in which similar reference characters denote corresponding parts,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the body portion of the tag constructed .according to my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of a tab or strap to be fixed to one face of said body portion;

Fig. 3 is a plan View of my complete tag;

Fig. 4 is a cross section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3, seen in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of a modified form of construction showing a tab on each face of the tag.

Referring in detail to the drawing, I0 denotes the body portion of a tag which may be made of cardboard, celluloid, thin sheet metal or other suitable more or less flexible or resilient material and of such shape and size as to suit difler- 55 ent uses. In the present example a conventional tag is chosen as generally used for indicating or marking articles or packages.

According to this invention the tag is composed of the body portion III and one or more straps or tabs fixed to one or opposite faces thereof.

In the structure shown in Figs. 1 to 4, a single strap or tab II is used. The body portion I 0 and said strap are each provided near the attaching end of the tag and about centrally with an aperture I2, I2 and a curved slit I3, I3 extending downwardly and laterally around the upper end and part of one side of said aperture terminating into the latter. This strap or tab II is adapted to be fixed to one face of the body I portion I!) so that the .apertures I2, I2 will be in exact alignment with one another and form the eyelet and said slits I3, I3 will extend in opposite directions and on opposite faces of the tag, thereby producing two diametrically opposed resilient tongues or flaps I4, I4 located on opposite faces of the tag. The fixing of the strap or tab is effected by gluing or in other suitable manner so that the flaps or tongues are free to be raised from the plane of the body portion and in their normal condition will bear against one another, occupying pockets I5, I5 formed between superposed materials of the body portion and strap, as shown in Fig. 4. The

free or inner ends I la of said flaps are rounded.

so that the latter will easily snap back into their pockets under their natural resiliency.

At the upper edge of the body portion III and that of the strap II recesses I6, I6 are provided which when the strap is fixed to the body portion in the above described manner, will be in exact alignment and located immediately above the flaps or tongues to form an entrant cavity or channel I! whereby the article will be guided. as it is being interlocked with the tag. To facilitate the spreading or raising of the flaps, shoulders I8, I8 are provided at the bottom of the entrant cavity ILagainst which the article will bear while it is being pressed into engagement with the aperture. Owing to the structure hereinabove described, the interlocking operation of article and tag will be automatic.

The eyelet formed by the apertures I2, I2 is preferably key shaped with its narrower end I2a located on top so that the article, string or wire to which the tag applied will tighten in said narrower end and by pressure hold the flaps from being accidentally raised from their pockets.

The flaps I4, I4 are curved in form of downwardly extending hooks which normally rest in the pockets l5, l5 and are braced against upward stress by the upper part of the walls l9, H! of said pockets.

The tab or strap II also serves to reinforce the attaching end of the tag when made of cardboard or other breakable material.

The springiness or resiliency of the flaps may be increased by glue which acts as sizing.

Instead of a single tab ll, there may be a tab l lcu also on the opposite face of the tag as shown in Fig. 5 whereby the attaching end of the tag may be additionally strengthened, if necessary, for certain articles. This tab may be glued to the body portion so that the flap thereof and that of the body portion will be joined into one of double thickness. If necessary, a similar reinforcing tab may be fixed to the tab I I.

In use, when the tag is to be attached to an article such as a ring, string or wire tiedaround a package, the tag is first placed at a slant with its entrant cavity engaging the article R (shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3) to which it is to: be attached and then by twisting it toward a parallel position and exerting thereon a slight pressure the article is caused to pass between the two flaps spreading them apart as it moves into engagement with the aperture. When released the flaps snap back into normal position and thereby automatically interlock the article and tag in all directions.

It is understood that various changes may be made in the construction of my device without departing from the principle of my invention. I, therefore, do not wish to restrict myself to the details shown and described.

What I claim is:

1. A tag of the character described, comprising a body portion and a tab, each having a substantially key-hole shaped aperture with its narrower end located at the top and a curved slit spaced from said aperture and extending from the upper edge downwardly and laterally and terminating into said aperture along the side walls thereof, said tab being fixed to one face and near the attaching end of said body portion so that said apertures will be in exact alignment and form an eyelet and their slits extend in opposite direction and on opposite faces of said body portion and thereby form two resilient fiaps or tongues nonnally closing said eyelet, but which are free to be raised from the closing position by pressure exerted between said tag and the article to which the latter is to be applied, permitting the interlocking of tag and article, and means at the outer end of said slits for guiding the article into the latter.

2. A tag according to claim 1 in which said means comprising a cut out portion in both body portion and tab, which when said tab is fixed to said body portion will be in exact alignment and forman entrant cavity serving to guide the article to which said tag is to be applied.

3. A tag according to claim 1 in which pockets are formed on opposite faces of said tag between said body portion and tab in which normally bear said flaps or tongues.

4. A tag according to claim 1, in which the flaps or tongues are hook-shaped and are braced by the walls of the body portion and tab bordering the slits.

5. A tag according to claim 1, in which a reinforcing tab is fixed to the opposite face of said body portion to strengthen said flaps and add resiliency thereto.

HERMAN ROTH. 

